GoKawiil
Tech News
TrendForce reports that some smartphone makers are turning to reballed memory—used DRAM stripped from old hardware and refitted with new solder balls—to stock entry-level 4G phones as DRAM contract prices keep rising. The firm says reballed chips, mostly LPDDR4X 4GB modules, could make up 3-4% of mobile RAM in 2026, potentially rising to 7-9% the following year.
CPU-Z's Validator database shows that over the past three months, systems with 32GB of RAM fell 2.5% and 64GB systems dropped 18%, while 16GB, 8GB and 24GB configurations all grew. DDR4 usage rose 6% year-over-year to 54.4% of surveyed systems, overtaking DDR5, which fell 2.9% to 32.9%. A similar pattern appeared in the Steam hardware survey, where 32GB systems declined 5.1% last month while 16GB systems grew 3.6%.
CPU-Z's hardware survey, which tracks systems actively running the free diagnostic tool, recorded its first-ever year-over-year decline in high-capacity memory configurations: 64GB setups fell 18% and 32GB fell 2.5%. Meanwhile 32GB remains the most common configuration at 37.2% share, followed by 16GB at 33%, while 8GB systems have shrunk to 11%.
GPU makers are redirecting manufacturing capacity toward AI chips, triggering a memory shortage that has driven up prices for graphics cards and related components. JP Morgan projects DRAM prices will rise 400 percent between 2024 and the end of 2026, while Tom's Hardware reports Nvidia's RTX 5090 now sells for nearly $5,000 above its original $1,999 price. The price surge has also hit consoles, laptops and resale markets, with PC shipments falling as a result.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in an interview with YouTuber Cheeky Pint that it is 'quite terrible' for people to keep large amounts of DRAM sitting idle in personal computers, arguing memory should be maximized in the cloud given the current supply shortage. He made the comment while discussing local AI inference, where models run directly on a user's device rather than in data centers.
According to a Fortune profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Microsoft's next-generation console, codenamed Helix, is now targeted for the 2028 holiday season rather than 2027, with internal pricing estimates ranging from $1,200 to $1,800 unless subsidized. A separate Xbox-branded handheld capable of running digital console games could still arrive in 2027. Sharma is also reportedly planning to restructure Game Pass into an à la carte model with optional add-ons.
TrendForce's latest report projects global notebook shipments will fall by a low single-digit percentage in 2027, driven by weaker consumer demand rather than component shortages. The research firm also expects the share of notebook production outside China to shrink from 24% in 2025 to 21% in 2026, and potentially below 20% in 2027, as rising costs make offshore manufacturing less appealing. TrendForce notes that CPU, DRAM, and SSD prices currently make up about 68% of the bill-of-materials cost for a typical $900 notebook.
TrendForce's latest industry report projects global notebook shipments will fall in 2027, with the decline ranging from low- to high-single-digit percentages depending on how brands handle rising component costs. The firm notes that CPU, DRAM, and SSD costs made up 68% of the bill of materials for a $900 mainstream notebook in Q3 2026, and that 2026 shipments were propped up by early purchasing and pulled-forward replacement demand that is unlikely to repeat.
Raspberry Pi Holdings reported revenue of $256.9 million for the six months ending June 30, a 90% increase, with adjusted EBITDA more than doubling to $40.3 million and pre-tax profit up 216% to $19.6 million. Unit shipments rose 17% to 4.2 million and the order backlog doubled to 2.6 million units, driving the company's stock up more than 30% over the past week.
Acer CEO Jason Chen told DigiTimes that RAM-driven PC price increases could start reversing by the end of 2027, a far shorter timeline than rival memory executives have forecast. He argues that supply of most RAM and SSD types has already caught up with demand, with real shortages now confined to high-end components like top-tier DDR5 modules and certain CPUs.